Bioburden testing has taken an increasingly important role in evaluating the microbial content of a variety of samples in the health care, food, cosmetic, and other industries. Bioburden testing is known by many names including microbial count, viable count, total count, plate count, colony count, heterotrophic count, and mesophilic count. Basically, bioburden is an assessment of the microbiological population associated with a variety of products and components. Obviously, this population is related to cleanliness of raw materials used, the production environment, and the handling of products during various manufacturing stages.
One method of determining microbial counts is a membrane filter (MF) procedure in which microbial counts are determined using a membrane filter. In these MF associated methods, the analyte containing fluid sample is filtered through a MF to capture the desired analyte microbes thereon. In some cases, the captured microbes and MF are placed in contact with a nutrient medium to cultivate the microbes. The number of colonies of microbe containing microbes can be counted using microscopes or cameras.
In some methods, counting of the captured microbes on the MF can be made directly without the need to cultivate the microbes such as by employment of a nutrient medium. In these cases, microscopic or camera detection of the microbes can be made directly by operative association of the detector, such as a microscope or camera with the MF. In many of these direct measurement techniques, the microbes are contacted with a staining or luminescence reagent that reacts with the microbes to facilitate microbe detection.
Accordingly, the present invention is devoted toward a container that can be used to collect the fluid sample and facilitate deposit of the microbes in the sample on a MF for subsequent colony detection by a detection mechanism such as a microscope or camera or the like.